Yakuza Creator's Gang of Dragon Channel Suddenly Disappears from YouTube, Then Reappears

Fans of Yakuza franchise creator Toshihiro Nagoshi’s Gang of Dragon were recently shaken by the disappearance of the game’s official YouTube page, but it appears to back back online and in full working order. Concerns that the crime-based action-adventure game from Yakuza’s creator is in doubt of ever seeing the light of day are still strong, but the Gang of Dragon YouTube account’s reappearance lets fans at least breathe a small sigh of relief.

Nagoshi revealed Gang on Dragon at The Game Awards 2025 in December, showing off a two-minute-long cinematic trailer highlighting the coolheadedness and hand-to-hand fighting skills of protagonist Shin Ji-seong, a high-ranking Korean crime syndicate member operating out of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Gang of Dragon was announced as the first game for Nagoshi Studio, the development firm that Nagosi founded following his exit from Sega, and the reveal of the developer’s logo during the trailer elicited a wave of cheers from the live audience in attendance.

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Gang of Dragon’s Future in Further Doubt With the Disappearance of its YouTube Page

But indicators over the last few months have hinted that Gang of Dragon is in trouble and may not make it to a full release, with Nagoshi Studio having reportedly lost its primary source of funding. In late April, an additional nail in the proverbial coffin appeared in the form of Gang of Dragon‘s official YouTube page’s disappearance, with many seeing it as a sign that the beginning of the end had arrived. Fortunately for potential players, the page has reappeared less than a full day later with little to no explanation of why it was taken down in the first place.

Concerns over Gang of Dragon‘s future were first raised in early March, when Bloomberg reported that the game’s primary financial backer, NetEase, was preparing to pull its monetary support from the project. The funding is reportedly set to run out in May, and Nagoshi has been trying to find another stream of income to keep development of the game moving forward. If such a stream cannot be secured, there is concern that a lack of pre-release funding would result not only in the game’s premature shutdown, but in the full closure of Nagoshi Studio.

The danger of the game losing its funding has persisted even longer than the March report, with similar indicators being present as early as February 2025. NetEase founder William Ding’s plans for the future reportedly involve shifting the company’s focus to games that are able to generate a large stream of steady income, which isn’t typical of a single-player action-adventure title like Gang of Dragon. Even big-budget live service games like Marvel Rivals have not been safe from layoffs under NetEase in recent years, with that game’s entire Seattle-based branch being let go in early 2025.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

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Even prior to the report of NetEase pulling its funding, there was no announced release window for Gang of Dragon, leaving potential players curious about when they would be able to get their hands on it if Nagoshi can secure another big financial backer. Some fans of the game, which has left early impressions of Yakuza with a Grand Theft Auto twist, are still hopeful that it will eventually see its full release become a reality, as its Steam page is still active and lists the Gang of Dragon as “Coming Soon.”